Nintendo DS Keeps Old Brains Working Like Young Brains

Nintendo said they were trying to reach new markets with the DS, and that they have - the elderly!

Mainici Daily reports Isamu Shishido, a 67-year-old Japanese retiree discovered Brain Training For Adults - or Brain Age to us westerners - not wanting to "end up some crazy old man ...I want to play a little everyday before going to bed."

The title has seen praise from doctors and neuropsychiatrists, almost universally noting that the game's light intelligence puzzles stimulate the brain and can offset dementia and Alzheimer's. "It's a good form of stimulation - especially for old people living alone,", said Kyoto doctor Takeshi Kihara.

Kihara's hospital even stocks DS systems for patients to use - "We've made ten Nintendo DS's available and they're almost always rented out.". The doctor even recommends that patients "of a certain age" buy themselves copies of the game to keep themselves stimulated at home.

The only catch with this, however, is that DS stocks have been running low in Japan since the release of the newly-reformed DS Lite. I just hope Mr. Shishido can remember to go out and get one later...